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Post the formulation of the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) by the Singapore government, it has announced the acceleration of Smart Nation deployment and digital transformation. The government has stated that it will partner and co-create with the industry to apply digital and smart technologies that improve the lives of citizens.

The Smart Nation infrastructural and application development will be led by SNDGG, comprising the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO) and the Government Technology Agency (GovTech). According to the plan, these agencies will be driving digital transformation across the public sector. Together, SNDGG will be focusing on national projects that include the National Digital Identity, cashless payments with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Smart Nation Sensor Platform (SNSP).

The Singapore government has also stated that it will be calling for a projected SGD 2.4 billion ($1.7 billion) of ICT tenders in this financial year and will invest in technologies such as data analytics, sensors, robotics, cybersecurity and related software systems. This will also include a tender for data analytics and another for communications infrastructure to link up data centers and IoT (Internet-of-Things) sensors.

“We will continue to work with the industry and provide them with the foundational support to build Singapore as a Smart Nation. On the other hand, companies will also need to boost their ICT and engineering capabilities in order to keep up with the fast-changing technological landscape,” said Jacqueline Poh, Chief Executive, GovTech.

“Besides the established companies, we are glad that there is a growing pool of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that have stepped up and embraced new technologies. Last year, SMEs accounted for about two-thirds of the total number of ICT contracts awarded.”

Through the Accreditation@IMDA program, promising ICT SMEs will be identified and involved in the Government’s digital transformation efforts. The Government will also be partnering the industry to increase the deployment of robotics.

In addition, while the Government has put in place a range of measures which will minimize the likelihood of government systems being infected by malware, it will continue to invest in cybersecurity to ensure that government agencies are equipped with best cybersecurity practices and next-generation technologies including advanced threat analytics and automation.